I'm in China, so I don't expect it to ever be sold in stores here - that's why I'm planning to have my parents bring me one from the US. Unfortunately, if it's not out on the 1st I may be stuck buying a Sony since that's my one chance for the year to get a replacement brought over. Only other option is to pay 50% more online here to get a Kobo sent from the US.

Have you heard of hopshopgo.com? It is Singapore based group that acts as a mail forwarder. Their focus is for people buying from outside the US who need a US address. I don't know if there is a similar service offering Canadian addresses but a mail forwarder might be the answer you need. Since HopShopGo is Singaporean, I would expect they would have no problem dealing with you in China.

As for the cost, it is may to be more expensive than ordering direct but they aren't overly expensive. They will also do consolidation of orders from multiple retailers for you to reduce the shipping costs. Might be a solution for you.